I was shocked, confused, bewildered  
as I entered heaven’s door,  
not by the beauty of it all  
nor the lights or its décor.  
But it was the folks in heaven  
who made me sputter and gasp—  
the thieves, the liars, the sinners,  
the alcoholics, the trash.  
There stood the kid from seventh grade  
who swiped my lunch money twice.  
Next to him was my old neighbor  
who never said anything nice.  
Uncle Bill, who I always thought  
was rotting away in hell,  
was sitting pretty on cloud nine,  
looking incredibly well.  
I nudged Jesus, “What’s the deal?  
I would love to hear your take.  
How’d all these sinners get up here?  
God must’ve made a mistake.  
And why’s everyone so quiet,  
so somber, give me a clue.”  
“Hush child,” said he, “They’re all in shock.  
They never thought they would see you.” Judith M. Ludwig, Copyright 2008

Did you know that the poem dubbed “Heaven’s Surprise” is in reality the poem “Folks in Heaven” Copyright 2008 by Judith M Ludwig (pen name: J Taylor Ludwig)?